Are you interested in bonsai trees? If so, we have a great seminar with an experienced and qualified teacher.
Lee Vanderpool, UF/IFAS Extension Master Gardener in Okaloosa County, will share his passion for bonsai this Wednesday in Fort Walton Beach.
Lee’s introduction to bonsai was through the Hawaiian Bonsai Association in 1979. He joined the Fort Walton Beach Bonsai Society, Inc. in 1985. Lee founded a study group for bonsai called Hama Matsu in 1989 and was the coordinator for that group until 2017. He belongs to the Bonsai Societies of Florida and received a lifetime achievement award from that organization in 2016. Two of Lee’s bonsai trees have been exhibited at Epcot in Disneyworld at the Japanese Pavilion.
The word bonsai is pronounced bone sigh. Bon means tray or pot and sai means plant. Bonsai refers to the plant being miniaturized as well as to the technique used.
About 1,000 years ago, records begin to show that people were turning plants in pots into an art form in Japan or penjing in China. Today the art of bonsai is practiced worldwide.
Lee will begin the bonsai seminar with a viewing of award winning bonsai and bonsai that are considered national treasures in the national bonsai collection in Washington DC. He will continue with a demonstration on how to create a bonsai from nursery stock. He will finish the seminar by providing information on which plants, containers and growing mix can be used to create a bonsai, whether to keep a bonsai indoors or outside, what kind of fertilizer is best to use as well as which tools will be useful in growing a bonsai.
This hour-long seminar will be held on Wednesday, July 18 beginning at 10 a.m. at the Extension Annex located at 127 NW Hollywood Blvd in Fort Walton Beach. There is no cost to attend but space is limited. Please call 850 689-5850 to reserve your seat.
UF/IFAS Extension in Okaloosa County now offers assistance to citizens with lawn, landscape and garden questions at three locations.
The UF/IFAS Extension Office in Okaloosa County is located at the Gerald R. Edmondson Extension Building, 3098 Airport Road in Crestview. Our office is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each weekday.
UF/IFAS Extension Master Gardener volunteers in Okaloosa County staff the two below locations to help answer your lawn, landscape and garden questions.
- Extension Annex in Fort Walton Beach from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. every Friday, located at 127 NW Hollywood Boulevard
- Niceville Youth Center from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Monday, located at 200 Campbell Drive
Note: These locations may not be open on holidays.